


Fabric and ribbons and lace, oh my

by DefinitelyNotAnOwl



Category: LazyTown
Genre: All of the characters will probably be mentioned at least once by the end of the fic, As well as fae!Robbie, Fluff, Insomnia, Insomnia is the only warning I can think of for this?, It won't go any further than that, It's mostly Robbie and Sportacus with Stephanie on the sidelines though, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, No Smut, Robbie also stays up too late, Robbie is a tailor, Sport and Robbie's relationship is definitely not platonic, Sportacus is such a dad, There will also be a bit of making out later, but that's basically it, elf!Sportacus will also come into this in a later chapter, male/male relationship, sorry - Freeform, sportarobbie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10026479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefinitelyNotAnOwl/pseuds/DefinitelyNotAnOwl
Summary: Stephanie has a dance competition, and nothing to wear to it.  Sportacus soon discovers that the town villain is also a tailor, and Robbie very soon has more work on his hands.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this tumblr post: http://ithrottaalfurin.tumblr.com/post/154628707794/consider-this-stephanie-is-a-dancer-and-she-has-a
> 
> The first two chapters have been uploaded today (01.03.2017), but I can't say for sure when the rest of the fic will be uploaded, because I have an insane amount of essays for university coming up. Hopefully it will be done within the next few months though, as I am only planning on writing 4 or 5 chapters.
> 
> Pure fluff (and a bit of kissing later on). No smut in this, sorry. It just didn't seem to fit with the tone of the fic.
> 
> In case anyone is interested, my tumblr url is thatshippingblog.tumblr.com (I basically just post LazyTown and Sportarobbie stuff).

The Mayor’s niece was the most active kid in town. Maybe even as active as Sportacus. She would jump over fences, skip through puddles, and maybe even do a laid-back cartwheel or two, just for the hell of it. And Stephanie loved to dance. So much, in fact, that she had been chosen to participate in the quarter-finals of a global dance competition.

Steph was excited. Sportacus was thrilled. Robbie was... sleeping, probably. Nobody had seen Robbie for days. The whole town seemed to be rejoicing.

Sportacus, however, was worried. Yes, Robbie was lazy and did seem to prefer spending more time in his underground lair, but four days? Four days seemed a bit excessive, even for the town villain.

At 5pm the next day, there was still no sign of Robbie.

_That’s it_ , decided Sportacus. He was going to go down there to find him.

 

Just as Sportacus started to try and figure out how to get into Robbie’s lair, Stephanie skipped up to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

‘Sportacus! I need to find something to wear to the dance competition next week!’

‘Don’t you have anything in your closet?’ Sportacus asked, rather impatiently, trying his best not to let it show.

‘No! I’ve never been to a competition this big.’

‘Why don’t you try asking Trixie if she has anything?’

‘Ok... thanks Sportacus!’ Stephanie seemed a little dubious, but ran off to Trixie’s house anyway, much to the hero’s relief. He didn’t know what to expect from Robbie, and he certainly didn’t need any of the children to see that either.

 

Sportacus finally found an entrance to the lair behind a large billboard. He flipped down effortlessly, only to be greeted by a very sour Robbie Rotten.

‘Sportaflop! What are you doing here?’

‘You haven’t been outside for days – we’re all worried about you.’

‘Ha. Nice try.’

‘No, seriously! What’s wrong, Robbie?’

‘Nothing! _Nothing_. I’m just _tired_ , that’s all.’

‘Tired? Why are you tired? All you’ve been doing is staying down here?’

Robbie gave the town hero a particularly icy glare, sending shivers all the way down his spine.

‘I’ve been working, Sportakook.’

‘Working?’ Sportacus considered saying something along the lines of _I didn’t know you did any work_ , but rather quickly decided against it when he considered how Robbie might react to such a statement. ‘What have you been working on?’

‘None of your business.’

‘Sorry. I was just... interested, I guess.’

Robbie didn’t reply, the same vexed expression plastered on his face.

‘Well, I guess I’ll see you around, Robbie. Make sure you get some sleep tonight, ok?’

Robbie’s voice cut through the tense silence, just as Sportacus began to flip out of the lair.

‘Wait.’

He stopped, slightly confused. Robbie sighed in exasperation, walking towards a wall. In the wall was a doorway. Except, instead of a door, there was a bright orange organza curtain.

Robbie pulled the curtain open, revealing a room full of a wide variety of fabrics. A large desk sat in the corner of the room, with a vintage sewing machine resting on top, with some purple fabric beside it, just waiting to be sewn into something new.

There was a slightly awkward silence, before Robbie bluntly stated ‘I’m a tailor.’

Sportacus was lost for words. Robbie Rotten, the town villain, the man who spends every day sleeping, was actually a tailor?

‘Is... is this how you have all of those disguises?’

Robbie blushed slightly. ‘Yeah.’

‘You _made_ all of those?’

‘ _Yes_.’

‘Robbie – that’s amazing! I had no idea you were that good!’

‘Ok, that’s enough.’ Robbie grumbled under his breath.

‘Wait. Stephanie...’ Sportacus murmured, as if a lightbulb had momentarily appeared over his head. ‘Stephanie was looking for a costume for her dance show next week!’

Robbie stared at Sportacus in stunned silence for a few seconds.

‘Oh, no. _No_. I am not making a dress for some little brat’s ballet lesson.’

‘But you would do an amazing job!’

‘She would probably just spill something on it! Or rip it!’ Robbie visibly shuddered as the thought of Stephanie stepping on the hem of her dress and ripping his hard work to shreds worked its way into his head.

‘Stephanie’s a sensible girl. She wouldn’t rip it, or spill anything on it. And it’s contemporary dance, not ballet.’

‘Doesn’t she own anything like that already? I though dance was her thing?’

‘No. This is a global competition, she needs a bit more than just a leotard.’

‘A- wait. A global competition?’

‘Yes. She’s going to Germany, and then the finals are going to be held in Iceland.’

‘What makes you so sure she’ll even make it to the finals?’

Sportacus grinned. ‘Oh, I know she can.’

Robbie rolled his eyes. ‘You’re such a sap.’

‘I know.’

It was Sportacus’ smile that won him over.

‘All right, fine. I’ll make the kid a costume. But just this once. Got that?’

‘Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Robbie!’

‘Yeah, ok, now get out of here.’

Sportacus practically beamed, and then flipped out of the lair.

Robbie flumped down in his fluffy chair, exhausted. ‘How does he do that?’ He pondered out loud.

 

* * *

 

 

Robbie had been working on the dress for two days so far. At first he had thought of it as a small project, just something to pass the time while he was scheming his next plot to get Sportacus out of town, or while he was working on another, more important disguise for himself.

But there was just something about the way the white and pink fabric complimented each other as he sewed them onto the satin lining. The lining itself was the same pastel pink as that of a summer rose. The bodice of the dress was a darker fuchsia shade, in a beautiful crushed velvet. Robbie figured a satin bodice would only stick to Stephanie’s skin uncomfortably whilst dancing, which would be the last thing she needed during an important dance competition.

Wait... no. What was he thinking? He was just doing this to get Sportacus off his back. Maybe the hero would cut him some slack if he did something good for the kid.

Nevertheless, Robbie was a self-proclaimed perfectionist. If he was going to work on a project like this, he was going to do it _well_. That would show Sportacus!

The tailor sighed deeply as he worked his needle through the beading on the straps. Why did everyone assume that he was lazy? If only they knew how long it took to make just one disguise...

He shook his head, dismissing his own self-pitying thoughts, and allowed himself to concentrate fully on the matter at hand.

 

* * *

 

 

Four days before the competition, Stephanie still hadn’t found something to wear. To say that she was worried would be an understatement. She could be seen running around town, frantically asking everyone if they had anything suitable; or rummaging through her closet over and over again. Maybe there was something she had missed when she first searched through it?

After one particularly fruitless search, she ended up throwing her dance shoes violently across her bedroom, and storming off into some part of the town. It had set Sportacus’ crystal off, and it took him an hour to find her.

Eventually, he saw her sitting under a tree. Not crying or screaming or showing any obvious signs of frustration. Just sitting there, in complete silence.

‘Stephanie?’

No response.

‘Stephanie, is everything ok?’

She was silent for a few more moments, before looking up at Sportacus, practically on the brink of tears.

‘I still can’t find anything to wear for the competition this week.’

‘Ah, Stephanie - ’

‘I don’t have anything, Trixie doesn’t have anything, even Bessie doesn’t have anything, and the judges aren’t going to take me seriously, and I won’t make it to the finals, and-’

Stephanie was speaking so fast that she could barely form coherent sentences. And then the tears came. And then she was crying into Sportacus’ shoulder. They sat under the tree until her crying calmed down, Sportacus hugging and shushing her to help her outburst subside.

‘Stephanie – I wasn’t going to tell you this until tomorrow, but I have a surprise for you.’

‘A... a surprise?’ Stephanie hiccupped.

‘Yes, well... haven’t you ever wondered why Robbie spends so much time in his house?’

‘Not really. It’s just something that he does.’

‘Well, I found out that he’s a tailor.’

Stephanie sat up and gave him that peery I-don’t-believe-you look.

‘ _What_?’

‘He designs and makes clothes. I suppose that’s how he has so many good disguises.’

‘What has this got to do with the competition?’

‘Well... he agreed to make your costume for you.’

‘I... what? Why would he do that?’

‘Robbie really is a lot nicer than he appears, sometimes.’ Sportacus replied, feeling slightly ashamed of all of the times when he had dismissed the other man.

‘He made all of those disguises?’

‘Yes.’

‘Wow.’

‘I know.’

‘How can we be sure that this isn’t another trick?’

‘I trust him.’ That was the only reply that the hero gave Stephanie.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, the dress was finally finished. Robbie had to pull an all-nighter in order to have it done by then. His eyes hurt, and he felt like he hadn’t slept in weeks. But damn, it looked like it was worth it. Robbie usually wasn’t one to advocate self-praise, but even he had to admit that the costume had a certain flair to it.

He had tried to co-ordinate the colours of the dress with Steph’s signature magenta hair, of course. The V-neck of the bodice worked beautifully with the velvet. Silver beading was sewn in a perfectly straight line on the straps of the dress, which formed a cross at the back.

The skirt, however... the skirt was the crowning glory of Robbie’s creation. He had used a beautiful coral ombre organza fabric that he had kept for later use in the shelf of his most expensive cloths. The tailor had sewn the skirt so that it would form a perfect handkerchief hem. At the back, however, he had sewn three strips of plain white organza, directly under the bodice of the dress. They had been rolled into cone shapes, and then sewn onto the outfit like that, so they also formed the same handkerchief effect.

Robbie was very pleased with the outcome. Very pleased, indeed. But he still couldn’t help feeling slightly nervous about the girl’s judgement.

Sportacus had contacted him the day before via letter – Stephanie knew that Robbie was making her costume, and was due to come for a fitting later on. That was why the all-nighter had been necessary.

They should arrive in two hours. That was enough time for a nap.

Yawning loudly, Robbie put the finished dress on a small mannequin. He dragged himself over to his fluffy orange chair, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 

* * *

 

 

An insistent knocking woke Robbie up immediately. He scowled as he slowly faded back to reality, reluctantly leaving what was actually a rather pleasant dream.

Sportacus and the kid were pounding on the entrance to Robbie’s lair. He sighed drastically, and climbed up to greet them.

‘Hello, Robbie!’ Sportacus greeted him cheerfully, as per usual.

‘You’re _late_.’ Was Stephanie’s response. Robbie glared at her slightly, and even Sportacus face-palmed for a second.

‘That’s very good to know, Pinkie.’ Robbie cut back just as coldly. ‘Do you want to try on this dress or not?’

Stephanie perked up at this, nodding her head eagerly. Robbie rolled his eyes and started to climb back down the entrance to his lair, reaching his hand up and beckoning Sportacus and Stephanie to follow him as he went down.

 

Robbie hadn’t bothered to put the mannequin with the dress back in his workshop before he crashed. He had just left it standing beside his fluffy chair. A little unprofessional, but Robbie was beyond caring by this point. It had taken way too long to finish the damn thing. He hoped that he didn’t have to make too many alterations – that would just mean more work for him.

A sudden wave of anxiety washed over him as he saw Stephanie climb down into the lair, closely followed by Sportacus’ navy blue boots. What if they didn’t like it? What if _Sportacus_ didn’t like it?

He didn’t quite know how to process Stephanie’s reaction to the costume. Her mouth fell open, and she walked over to the dress on the mannequin in perfect silence.

_Oh god, no, she hates it, she hates it..._

Sportacus flipped down soon after Stephanie, and stood right beside Robbie. He seemed concerned by the uneasy look on Robbie’s face, but as soon as he saw the dress, he was just as taken aback as Stephanie.

There was a slightly awkward silence, before Sportacus’ voice cut through the tense atmosphere.

‘Well, Stephanie? Do you like it?’

‘I _love_ it!’

Robbie let out the breath that he hadn’t realised that he had been holding.

‘Can I try it on?’

‘Of course you can,’ Robbie said, a little more harshly than he had intended to. ‘Tailor’s studio is over there.’ He said, pointing in the vague direction of the orange curtain.

Stephanie squealed and ran off to the studio, clutching the dress tight to her chest.

 

Robbie walked over to his chair and slumped down on it, head in his hands.

‘Robbie? Are you ok?’

‘I’m _fine_ , Sportakook. I’m just tired.’

‘Tired?’

‘Sewing an entire dress together does take more time than you might think, believe it or not.’ Robbie spat at the hero. When he saw the hurt look on Sportacus’ face, he immediately regretted his tone.

Robbie sighed deeply.

‘Sorry.’

‘Robbie... when did you get to sleep last night?’

That tone in Sportacus’ voice... Robbie didn’t think he had ever heard the hero more worried. Not even when he had lost his blasted crystal.

‘I didn’t.’

Again, when Robbie saw the expression on Sportacus’ face, he immediately regretted what he had just said.

‘You _didn’t_?’

‘...no.’

‘ _Robbie..._ ’

‘Sportacus, please. I really don’t have the energy to deal with this right now.’

 

Before the hero could respond, Stephanie came running out of the studio, twirling beautifully in the coral dress.

‘Stephanie! It looks beautiful!’ Sportacus was very quick to change his demeanour in front of the child.

‘It does, it does, it does!’ The kid was clearly excited. And perhaps relieved. Maybe even both.

‘Does it fit all right?’ Robbie asked from his chair.

Stephanie nodded enthusiastically.

‘The straps aren’t too long?’

‘No, they’re perfect! Thank you, Robbie!’

‘Turn around, just so I can see the back of it. I’m not sure if I made the bodice tight enough.’

Stephanie turned obediently, and Robbie could see that it was indeed a perfect fit. ‘Ok, that looks fine. It should be good for dancing in, I hope.’ Robbie’s voice had a slightly anxious edge to it.

‘Yup. I tried a few moves in the room before I went out, and it stayed on fine.’

Robbie panicked slightly as he imagined an eight-year-old jumping and kicking in his prized studio, but he quickly dismissed it. He didn’t want to disappoint her or Sportacus just after they said so many good things about his work.

‘When is your competition, Stephanie?’ Sportacus asked in his heavy accent.

‘The day after tomorrow. But I have to get to bed early, so I can get on the plane tomorrow morning.’

‘Maybe you should change back into your normal clothes and get back home, then. It’s getting quite late.’ Sportacus fussed, and Stephanie skipped back into the studio.

 

As soon as Stephanie had left, Sportacus’ happy glow had immediately dimmed.

‘Robbie, I really don’t like the idea of you getting no sleep.’

Robbie let out an exasperated sigh.

‘Oh, for god’s sake, Sportaflop.’

‘At least try to sleep tonight?’

‘I’m not going to promise anything.’

‘But will you at least try?’

Robbie glowered at Sportacus, refusing to answer his question.

‘Robbie...’

 

Before Sportacus could say anything else, Stephanie ran out of the studio again, her arms full of pink and white organza.

‘Are we going to go now, Sportacus?’

‘Yes, let’s go, Stephanie!’ Sportacus’ energetic attitude was suddenly back again, as if somebody had flipped a switch in his brain.

‘Goodbye, then.’ Robbie said, still not moving from his chair.

‘Ok, goodbye Robbie!’ Stephanie addressed the town villain, still practically buzzing with energy.

‘Goodbye, Robbie...’ Sportacus said, his worried tone of voice taking over for a few seconds.

With that, both the town hero and his pink-haired friend had gone back up the ladder, leaving Robbie alone in his lair again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie can't sleep and Sportacus is worried.
> 
> Also, there is a Bed Sharing Incident.

To his credit, Robbie had tried to follow Sportacus’ request for him to get some sleep.  He really, really did.  But how those kids managed to make so much noise, even into the later hours of the evening, was honestly beyond him...

He tossed and turned in his chair, clutching his fuzzy throw close to his chest as his sleep was disrupted once again by the hyper candy kid.

Robbie didn’t know the names of most of the children, and he honestly didn’t see any need to learn their names any time soon.  It wasn’t like they spoke to him unless he had apparently done something wrong, anyway.

 

With one final over-dramatic turn in his recliner, Robbie heard something flipping down into his lair.

No, not something.

Someone.

‘Hello, Robbie.’

Sportacus’ normal cheery tone was completely gone.  Robbie dared to look over his shoulder – and immediately wished that he hadn’t.

 

The hero was standing a few feet away from the chair, with a fully serious look plastered on his face. Over his shoulder he had a canvas bag, filled with god knows what.  Some more of his ridiculous “SportsCandy”, probably.

‘Is this going to become a regular occurrence?’ Robbie asked spitefully.

Sportacus didn’t reply; he just walked over to Robbie’s chair, knelt down, and started to rummage through the bag.

Instead of an apple or pear or any other fruit, though, he pulled out a lilac candle and a box of matches, along with a candle slate.  He placed it gently on the table beside Robbie’s chair, and lit it.

‘What,’ Robbie said bluntly. ‘Is that?’

‘It’s a candle.’

‘Yes, I can _see_ that, Sportakook, but what _purpose_ does it serve?  It doesn’t exactly go with the whole depressing mechanical aesthetic of my villainous lair,’

‘It is lavender scented.  Lavender helps you get to sleep.’

Robbie rolled his eyes once more.

‘Sportaflip, for the last time, I don’t need your help.’

‘Robbie,’ Sportacus changed his position so he was kneeling in front of Robbie now. ‘I’m really worried about you.’

‘Shouldn’t you be worrying about one of those kids instead?’

‘None of them need my help right now.  They are all sleeping peacefully.’

‘Ah, right, and you just see me as another child who refuses to go to bed on time.’

‘ _No_ , that’s not what I was saying.’

Robbie tried to think of another jarring comeback, but he was honestly too tired to think of one.  He jumped slightly as Sportacus rested his hand on his throw-covered thigh, but didn’t try to bat the hero’s hand away either.

 _I’m just tired_ , Robbie reassured himself.  _There’s nothing funny going on here, I’m just too lazy to make him move._

Then Sportacus started to move his thumb in clockwise circles.  That made Robbie tense up.  However, he still didn’t move Sportacus’ hand.  He found the movements oddly... soothing?  Soothing didn’t seem like the right word to use in this context.  Whatever it was, Robbie liked it.

‘Robbie, do you have a bed in here?’

Robbie’s voice caught in his throat at that.

‘Ah... ha ha... trying to get into my bed already, Sportaflip?’

Sportacus’ face immediately turned as red as a cherry.  Robbie mentally kicked himself for saying that, but somehow found himself enjoying the sight of Sportacus blushing because of him.

‘I mean, do you just sleep on this chair all the time?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you own a bed?’

‘ _Yes._ ’

‘Ok, I’m going to bring you over to it.’

Robbie looked slightly startled, but just as quickly returned to his cold demeanour.

‘ _Make_ me.’

Sportacus’ eyes glinted for a second, before he stood and effortlessly picked Robbie up out of the chair, holding him in his arms bridal style.

‘I- **HEY**!  What do you think you’re doing?!’

‘Bringing you to your bed.’ Sportacus’ voice had a mischievous edge to it that made Robbie want to tackle him to the floor.

He made a show of kicking and pounding against Sportacus’ chest, but obviously to no avail, as the hero was built like a freaking tank.  Sportacus leisurely walked over to Robbie’s bedroom, and moved the unused sheets over before setting Robbie gently down into the bed.

‘Now, you’re going to go to sleep.’ Sportacus said, tucking Robbie in.

‘You can’t make me stay in bed.  I’m not a child.’

And with that, Robbie immediately stood up.  Sportacus shook his head impatiently, and pushed Robbie gently back down onto the bed again.

‘Get changed into your pyjamas.  I’m going to make you some warm milk, and you had better be in the bed by the time I come back.’

 

Robbie scowled and crossed his arms over his chest as Sportacus walked out of the bedroom.  When Sportacus was finally out of sight, Robbie took his shoes off, and got changed into his pyjamas, but refused to do anything further than that.  Nobody told him what to do, especially not the man he had been plotting against for the past year.

When Sportacus returned and saw that Robbie still wasn’t in bed, he sighed deeply and set the warm milk on the bedside table, staring down at the other man.

‘You have to get some sleep.’

‘And what are you going to do if I don’t?’

‘I won’t leave this lair until I know for certain that you are asleep.  And not faking it to get me off your back.’

Robbie let out a cry of exasperation. 

‘You really aren’t going to leave until you get what you want, are you?’

Sportacus shook his head.

‘Well then, we’re at a standstill, aren’t we?’

‘And why is that?’

‘Because even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to get to sleep.’

‘Why not?’  There was that concerned tone again.

‘I... I don’t know.  I just can’t.’

‘Robbie...’

‘I’m not trying to be difficult.  I just... I can’t sleep.’

‘Robbie... perhaps it would help if I slept beside you?’

Now, that suggestion really did take Robbie aback.

‘Wow.  You really are trying to get into my bed.’

‘I won’t do it if you don’t want me to.’

Robbie sighed again.

‘No, you’re right.  That actually might help.’

Sportacus looked slightly surprised, before smiling at the idea of being able to help the insomniac. 

‘Drink your milk.’ Sportacus commanded, before bending over to unlace his shoes.  He walked over to the other side of the bed, and made sure that Robbie had his back turned to him before he took his hat off and placed it on the other beside table.

 

Robbie finally got under the covers, and Sportacus pulled him into soft embrace; as if he was afraid that Robbie could break at any second.  He enjoyed the feeling of the other man’s body heat against his, and snuggled against the crook of his neck, squeezing his arms gently.

‘Why were you up so late anyway?’

‘Shouldn’t we be staying quiet if you want me to get to sleep, Sportaflip?’

‘Alright.  Goodnight, Robbie.’

Robbie blushed slightly at the gentle tone in Sportacus’ voice.

‘Goodnight, Sportacus.’ Robbie said under his breath, desperately hoping that Sportacus didn’t hear him.

Sportacus smiled against Robbie’s neck as he allowed his exhaustion to take over.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steph gets into the next round of the competition, and Robbie designs another costume for her.

The bed had been empty when Robbie woke up.  The lingering disappointment had sunk deep when Robbie realised that Sportacus hadn’t, in fact, waited for Robbie to get up, and had just ran off in the morning.

The villain slapped himself rather harshly.  What was he thinking?!  Sportacus was a superhero – no, sorry, a “ _słíĝhţļy-äbôvè-ãvêråġĕ hęřő_ ” – and he was the town villain!  He shouldn’t _want_ Sportacus to stay in bed with him, of all things!  The sports maniac had just been making sure that Robbie was sleeping properly, and he had let him stay the night just to get him off his back, that was all!

This, however, did not stop Robbie from sitting up on his bed, arms wrapped around his knees, and feeling very much like he had just been ditched by a one-night stand. 

With an overdramatic sigh, Robbie got out of bed and checked his alarm clock.

Wait- no, that couldn’t possibly be right.

The lurid orange hands told Robbie that it was 9am.

But he never woke up that early?!

It was at that moment when Robbie noticed a pale blue paper airplane placed on the pillow that Sportacus had been sleeping on the night before.

Robbie didn’t think he had moved faster in his entire life.  He bolted towards the bed and hastily opened the note.

 

_Robbie,_

_I hope you slept well._

_I have to go up to my airship for a few routine checks; I’ll see you later on today!_

_Sportacus_

_x_

 

Robbie frowned slightly at the ‘x’ printed at the bottom of the page.  Was that supposed to be a kiss, or was the other man really that oblivious?

He decided to let it slide, placing the note surprisingly carefully in the drawer of his bedside table, and left to get dressed and prepare for the day ahead.

 

* * *

 

 

A few days went by, and the large pipe that passed as Robbie’s front door was soon being hammered down again; at least, that’s what it sounded like.  When Robbie grudgingly climbed up the ladder to see what was making so much noise, he was instead greeted by a shock of bright pink.

‘Robbie!  I got to the next round, thankyouthankyouthankyou!’ The pink eyesore squealed, hugging him so hard that he could barely breathe.

‘Ok... ok, Pinkie, congratulations.’

‘Come outside, Sportacus wants to talk to you!’

Robbie’s breath caught in his throat.  He hadn’t seen or spoken to Sportacus since... well.  That.

‘Oh, I’m sure he doesn’t want to be bothered- **GAH**!’ Robbie got cut off by the pink girl grabbing his arm and practically dragging him to the centre of town.  Damn, that kid certainly was stronger than she seemed.

 

Before too long, the girl had managed to heave Robbie into what looked like a play park.  And, just as Robbie had somehow accomplished to both hope and fear, there was Sportacus, just standing there in the middle of the grassy area with a football in his hands.

_Because of course he’s doing something sporty_ , Robbie thought, spitefully.

‘Stephanie!  There you are!’ Sportacus exclaimed, and then suddenly grew quiet when he saw the sulky purple mass in her arms. ‘Hello, Robbie.’ He said, in a notably less cheery manner, but with that ridiculous smile plastered on his face nevertheless.

‘Sportaloon.’ Robbie regarded him coldly, shaking himself free from Stephanie’s grasp and smoothing his waistcoat down. ‘Why, pray tell, did your magenta daughter drag me out of my lair?  Has there been some tragic football-related accident?’

‘No, nobody’s been causing any accidents with any footballs,’ Sportacus said with a slight chuckle.

‘Would you like to?’ Robbie grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.  Stephanie visibly rolled her eyes at this, while Sportacus just continued to giggle like a fool.

‘Sportacus, can we tell him now?’ Stephanie was practically bouncing on the spot.

‘All right, all right.  Robbie, would you like to design another costume for Stephanie?’

Robbie was slightly taken aback by this.

‘I- _what_?  Why on earth would you want me to do _that_?’

‘Because the last dress was so pretty and I know you can make another one that’s just as good, pleaserobbieplease-’

Stephanie actually was bouncing now, and it took a slightly stern look from Sportacus to get her to calm down again.

‘She’s right, Robbie.  You definitely are talented,’ Sportacus said, murmuring that last part slightly.

Robbie could practically feel his eyeballs do a complete 180° before he gave his reply.

‘All right, I _suppose_.’

‘Really?  Thank you, Robbie!’ Sportacus beamed, hugging Robbie suddenly.  Robbie started at the unexpected contact, and hugged Sportacus back awkwardly.  Sportacus seemed slightly flustered when he pulled back, and was that- was he _blushing_?

Any thoughts of that were, quite literally, knocked out of Robbie’s mind, however, as Stephanie ran up and somehow managed to wrap her arms around both men, gaining a laugh from Sportacus, and a protest from Robbie.

‘All right,’ Robbie said. ‘But we’re going to design it _properly_ this time, not at the last second before she gets on the plane again.’

 

* * *

 

 

As the days passed, Robbie began to get a clearer idea of the exact design that the pink girl wanted.  It was a good thing that she had drawings prepared though, because Robbie was mostly distracted by something else entirely.

Sportacus had insisted that they design the dress outside, instead of in Robbie’s lair.  Robbie had scowled at this proposal, objecting about how he would find it so much easier to work in his studio.  He met up with the hero and the girl outside anyhow, after he eventually realised that he had no choice in the matter.

But he couldn’t concentrate on a single thing the girl was saying to him.  Sportacus was sitting mere metres away from him, and the damn fool was _staring_. 

Robbie tried his best not to over-analyse the situation.  He had had many crushes in the past, and he was no stranger to thinking that there was a mutual attraction when there actually wasn’t.  He refused to let that happen again.

His thoughts were very soon interrupted by a loud voice behind him.

‘Hey!  Why are you all sitting on this grass?  It’s _mine_.’

Robbie let out an infuriated sigh.  See?  This. _This_ is why he didn’t want to work outside.

‘Nobody in particular owns this grass,’ Robbie replied, rather icily. ‘It is public property.’

‘Stingy, we’re helping Stephanie design her dance costume!’ Sportacus said with too much enthusiasm, presumably in an attempt to distract the child.  An attempt that seemed to work, as Stingy brightened up at this and sat down with the group.

The sketch was almost done; Stephanie and Robbie were just adding some final details to the dress.  This one was completely different from her first costume, as Stephanie had opted to go for a garment with a high-necked, long-sleeved bodice and a shorter skater skirt.  She had originally wanted the whole thing to be velvet, but Robbie had thankfully managed to persuade her to at least make the skirt a lightweight chiffon or satin, to make it easier to flow with her movements as she danced. 

The entirety of the outfit was to be some shade of pink, of course.  Robbie wasn’t exactly comfortable with bringing his entire studio up to give the girl a selection – grass stains and fabric do _not_ mix.  The tailor silently cursed Sportacus once again for forcing him to work outside.

‘Why is it all pink?’ Stingy asked, turning his nose up slightly.

‘Because pink’s my favourite colour!’ Stephanie said happily.

‘It’s not as good as yellow.  That’s _my_ favourite.’

‘Ok, Stingy.’ Stephanie laughed.

‘I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation,’ Robbie cut in. ‘But if you want this dress to be finished on time, I had better get to work on it now.’

Robbie stood up, gathering the design and the rest of his equipment, before uttering a simple goodbye to the kids and the blue buffoon.  Both of the children said goodbye, but Sportacus barely mumbled his farewell to the tailor.

Well, something seemed to be up. 

 

* * *

 

 

Another all-nighter was required for Robbie to complete his work.  He didn’t really care what Sportacus would think, to be quite honest.  He was caught in his working streak; and Robbie knew that once he allowed himself to fall out of that streak, it would be very, very difficult to find it again.

When he worked like this, everything just seemed to _connect_ so well.  It was like he knew exactly where to make every stitch, exactly how to make the fabric stay in the way that he wanted it to.  Everything just _worked_.

Unfortunately, these working streaks usually didn’t hit him until around ten at night.

That’s why he always stayed up so late.  He wasn’t watching TV, or whatever it was that Sportacus and the kids thought that he was doing.  He was actually being productive; it was just that his sleep schedule suffered as a result of that.

Robbie sighed as he threaded another silver bead through the plum fabric.  He hadn’t managed to find the exact shade that Stephanie had wanted (her design had a colour closer to that of a boysenberry), but he thought that the contrast of the dark fabric worked much better with the light ballet slipper pink of the chiffon skirt.

Once again, Robbie managed to finish the costume to some satisfaction, and rested it on the mannequin.  This one would require more fitting, he thought.  Velvet was always a tricky fabric to work with. 

Robbie walked over to his chair, but as he did he suddenly remembered Sportacus’ visit.  And how he had made him use his bed instead of his beloved chair.  He scowled as the memory danced across his mind.  He was way too tired to deal with that.

He walked over to the bed, staring it down before he changed into his pyjamas and got under the covers, feeling slightly guilty as sleep finally claimed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was pretty gay, Robbie.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie gets into the final round, surprise surprise.

Stephanie loved the dress.  As per usual.

And Stephanie also made it to the next round. 

As per usual.

Within the next few days, the sound of knocking rang through Robbie’s lair.

As.  Per.  Usual.

_Except it shouldn’t be usual_ , Robbie thought to himself grumpily as he climbed up the ladder to greet whoever was hammering his door down. 

It wasn’t an issue of payment – Sportacus had been paying him well, much better than some other clients had done in the past.  Robbie was used to customers demanding lower prices, and often had to settle for many “bargains” through fear of gaining a bad reputation.  He hadn’t quite believed his eyes when Sportacus hadn’t sat him down to have the dreaded chat about payment.  He had simply received a letter the day after Sportacus’ first visit, with almost two times more than what Robbie earned in a month.

Sportaloon was generous, he would give him that.

It was just these constant visits...  Robbie wasn’t used to this much attention.  Certainly not from the children.  Certainly _not_ from the town hero.  He just hoped that the mayor and his blue-headed secretary would leave him alone.  He didn’t need the entire town speaking to him every day.

 

When he opened the hatch to his lair, he was nearly blinded by the frankly alarming shade of blue right in front of him.

‘Hello, Robbie!’

Robbie could practically feel his eyeballs rolling all the way back in his skull.  It was way too early for this.

‘Sportakook.’ He regarded the other man coldly. ‘Let me guess – Pinkie has managed to get into the next round of this contest, because of course there’s another round, and she somehow can’t find anything to wear.  Again.’

‘Well... yes.’

‘Is this some sort of miraculous never-ending competition, Sportadork?’

‘This is the final round, I promise!’ Sportacus said, too cheerfully.

Robbie sighed, allowing his head to rest on the brim of the pipe.

‘ _Alright_.’

Somehow, Sportacus’ smile managed to widen even more.

‘We’re not going to spend hours outside again, are we?’ Robbie asked.

‘Stephanie doesn’t like your lair.’

‘Of course she doesn’t.’

‘ _Robbie_.’  There was definitely an edge to Sportacus’ voice this time.

‘ _Alright_.’  Robbie almost snapped back with that same edge.  He wasn’t one to cower away at the first sign of intimidation. ‘Alright.  She can design the dress outside.  Again.  For three hours.  In front of the whole town.  On the grass.  Which was _damp_ , by the way.’

Sportacus chuckled slightly.  Robbie thought that he would have done his signature flip and then jogged off after that, but he just stayed there.

‘...you want me to go and talk to her now, don’t you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Ok.  Let’s get this over with, then.’

 

* * *

 

The planning had been just as tedious and drawn-out as Robbie had expected it to be, but at least he was home now.

The girl had asked for a much more complex design this time. 

_I suppose that makes sense_ , Robbie thought as he searched through his rapidly decreasing collection of pink fabric.  _It is the final round, after all_.

She wanted metallic fabric for the bodice this time.  Robbie wasn’t even sure if he _had_ metallic fabric.  And there was no way he would be able to order more on time.  Not for a performance scheduled for a week from then.  And she wanted the skirt to have four different layers of chiffon, not unlike to the first dress that he made for her.  He managed to find a roll of fabric which was a strange combination of rosy pink and silver.  It wasn’t exactly what she had asked for; but it was a similar metallic fabric, and it was all that Robbie had, so Stephanie would have to like it or lump it.

But that was just the base of the costume.  That wasn’t even including all of the beading and ribbons that she had also asked for.

Robbie laid the fabrics out on his desk, which now seemed much too small for the task at hand.  Once again, Robbie sighed, almost hiding his face in his hands for a second.  He loved his job.  He did.  At least, that was what he tried to convince himself every morning.

He had to start on this now, otherwise there was just no way that he would have it finished on time.

 

* * *

 

Two days passed, and Robbie was still working on the skirt.

_Two_.  _Days_.

That was bad, even for Robbie.

He just hadn’t managed to get into the mindset that he needed to work fast, that specific mindset that just made everything fall into place... he had tried so hard, but it managed to slip away from him again.

Robbie expected to be working on this damn dress night and day for the rest of the week.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was for anyone to visit him, let alone Sportacus.

 

The hero had practically jumped right down into Robbie’s lair, without really asking permission first.  Robbie had let it slide this once, but that didn’t get rid of his strained demeanour.

Sportacus had then asked something that Robbie wasn’t really paying attention to, because the damn chiffon just _would not_ stay where he wanted it to, and that required his full attention at that exact moment in time.

When Robbie had managed to fix that minor setback, however, he looked back at his workshop and was surprised to see that Sportacus was still there.

‘...what are you still doing here?’

Robbie winced slightly as the words left his mouth.  That had come out much harsher than he had meant it to.  Sportacus seemed to be a bit fazed by his tone as well, but soon plastered his too-fake smile on his face before Robbie could read into it too much.

‘I was just wondering if you wanted some company?  It’s not good to stay down here alone all day.’

Robbie rolled his eyes and went back to his work.

‘Whatever floats your boat, Sportadork.’

Sportacus grinned and proceeded to look at a roll of lurid orange fabric.

Normally, this wouldn’t have caught Robbie’s attention.  It was the fact that Sportacus seemed to be staring at the same fabric for over three minutes that came across as a bit strange.

Except he wasn’t just looking at the fabric.  Sportacus seemed to have developed a system of looking at the fabric for ten seconds, glancing back at Robbie, and then sheepishly turning his head back to face the shelves in front of him, as if he thought that Robbie hadn’t noticed him staring.

This went on for three more minutes.

Robbie tried to concentrate on his work, but the feeling of Sportacus’ gaze practically burning into the back of his head was just a tad distracting.

After around ten minutes of this charade, Robbie finally glanced in Sportacus’ direction.

‘Look, are you going to ask me out already?  Because I’m fairly certain marigold isn’t part of your whole blue monochromatic theme.’

Robbie regretted those words the instant that he had said them, clapping his hand over his mouth and turning an impressive shade of crimson. 

_Shit, why had he just said that, why had he just said that –_

Sportacus’ expression was truly a thing of beauty.  It started off as pure shock, and then, very quickly, turned into a dazed, lopsided smile.

‘Robbie...’

‘F- Forget it!  Forget I said anything!’

Robbie might as well have just not spoken, as Sportacus walked up to the tailor’s desk in three simple strides.

‘Robbie, I would love to go out with you.’

He didn’t say anything, suddenly taking a great interest in the pile of sewing pins gathered on his desk.  When Sportacus didn’t get a response, he knelt beside him and gently placed his hand on Robbie’s bicep, repetitively rubbing small circles over it.

‘Robbie, please look at me.’

He screwed his eyes shut, like a rebellious child.  Sportacus chuckled softly, and continued rubbing his damn circles on Robbie’s arm.

‘Can you please stop, this is already humiliating enough...’ Robbie finally managed to spit out once he had found his words again.

‘What’s so humiliating about it?  I said yes.’

‘You’re doing this as a joke.’ Was Robbie’s reply. ‘Or you’re just doing it to be nice, take your pick.’

‘Robbie,’

Robbie growled softly, and before he could process what was happening, Sportacus had leaned over and was hugging him.

‘Robbie, I would never make fun of you.  And I would never lead you on like that.  I said yes because I wanted to.  I think I’ve wanted this for a long time, Robbie - ’

‘That’s enough, Sportafool.’

‘Ever since I saw you, since my first day here, I felt something, but I just didn’t realise what it was until now...’

‘Sportacus.’

Sportacus looked up at the taller man, suddenly silent.

‘Shut up, Sportacus.’

And, before Robbie had fully processed what he was doing or thinking, he had pulled Sportacus up towards him, capturing his lips in a rough kiss. 

It was over as soon as it had started; but the two men only stared at each other for a split second before Sportacus leaned up and kissed Robbie with about a hundred times more enthusiasm.  And it was all so fast, and Sportacus’ lips felt so good moving against Robbie’s, and Robbie moaned at the sheer intensity of it, and oh _god_ , Sportacus used that as an excuse to work his tongue into the mix, caressing Robbie’s mouth with it and turning it into a fight for dominance, which Robbie won, of course...

And then Sportacus’ mouth was suddenly gone, leaving Robbie dazed in his chair, with bruised lips and a shortage of breath.

Not for long though, because Sportacus was soon seated on Robbie’s lap, his thighs wrapped gently around Robbie’s waist, a starved look in his cerulean eyes.

‘Robbie,’ he breathed, before crushing his lips hungrily against the villain’s once more.

Robbie kissed back just as eagerly this time, every feeling of pride and fear gone momentarily as he felt Sportacus’ tongue fondling his again.  He wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist, pressing his chest against Sportacus’ as he realised just how much he wanted, no, _needed_ this, and just how long he had been waiting to do this as well, and oh god, it was too much, too good, but at the same time just right and it all made sense...

He allowed his hand to travel up the nape of Sportacus’ neck, whilst leaving the other in a firm grip on his waist, and Robbie started to pull the other man’s hat off so he could play with his sandy hair.

If Robbie had noticed the hitch in Sportacus’ breath once the hat had been discarded onto the floor, he certainly didn’t seem to analyze it too much.  Sportacus continued his work on Robbie’s tongue nonetheless, tightening his grip on the brunette ever so slightly as he felt Robbie’s hand playing and pulling at his hair.  But he couldn’t help noticing, Robbie was getting very dangerously close to...

 

_!_

 

Robbie frowned as he felt his finger running over Sportacus’ ear.  He did it again, just to make sure he hadn’t been imagining things - and yes, it was definitely real...

Sportacus’ ear had a pointed tip.

He slowly removed his other hand from Sportacus’ waist and felt the tip of the other ear, only to be greeted with a similar triangular point.

Was- was Sportacus an _elf?_

 

A low, shuddering moan from the other man seated in his lap brought Robbie back to reality.  Sportacus grabbed Robbie’s wrists, and abruptly broke the kiss.

‘Robbie... I- they’re very... _sensitive_...’

Sportacus barely managed to choke the last word out, and it was only then when Robbie fully took in the sight before him.

The elf was a trembling, scarlet mess, barely looking Robbie in the eye, or even in his general direction, for that matter.  Robbie allowed his gaze to travel downwards, and, well.

Robbie had always thought that Sportacus’ ridiculous blue jogging suit was too tight for his own good, but he was fairly sure it wasn’t always _that_ tight...

 

He had somehow managed to get involved with an elf with an ear kink, oh god, what had he gotten himself into...

 

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds as Robbie not-so-subtly stared at Sportacus’ straining trousers, before he looked up at the elf again and attempted to break the unbearable tension between them.

‘So, uh... that’s why you always wear that vile hat,’ Robbie said, in what he hoped was a joking tone.

Sportacus finally looked at Robbie, still clearly embarrassed. 

‘I- I’m sorry, Robbie, I should probably go now...’

Whatever was left of Robbie’s heart immediately sank, and he took his hands off Sportacus, instead opting to let them rest on the sides of his work chair.

‘Yes, I- I suppose you should.’ Robbie said in the most monotonous and disinterested tone that he could muster.  He broke eye contact with Sportacus, looking at some other part of the studio.

Now it was Sportacus’ turn to feel that shattering heartbreak and rejection.  He stared at Robbie in shock, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.  Silently, he picked up his hat from off the ground, hurriedly shoving it over his ears, which were already over-sensitive from Robbie’s ministrations, and practically ran out of the lair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robbie why
> 
>  
> 
> Also, sorry that I took so long to upload this chapter, I somehow managed to schedule everything important that I had to do for this month in the last two weeks.
> 
> Just one more chapter left!


	5. Chapter 5

Robbie sent Stephanie’s dress to her by post.  Then he stayed in his lair for the rest of the day.

And the rest of the next day.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

 

He didn’t hear back from Steph, so he assumed that the dress didn’t need any alterations.  Which meant that he didn’t need to go and see her.  Which meant that he didn’t need to leave his chair.

Robbie stayed in that chair a lot over those next few days.  He just sat there.  Staring.  Not at anything in particular.  He pulled the orange throw over his shoulders, and huffed slightly.  His mind was buzzing with thoughts, but somehow numbingly empty at the same time.  He tried to think of an idea for a new disguise, or a new machine, or _something_ , but his brain just refused to cooperate. 

At some point he got up and walked over to his studio, despite the fact that he didn’t have anything urgent to work on.  For some reason, he couldn’t get his fingers to work – he couldn’t get them to bend and turn in the right way, couldn’t position the needle at the correct angle, couldn’t make the stitches even.  Even his trusty sewing machine seemed to be acting up.  Robbie gave a dismayed cry, and flung the fabric across the room.  And with that, he slunk over to the chair again, and slumped down on it, hunching his shoulders up and curling his whole body into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible.

And again, he stayed in that position for what felt like days, only getting up to nibble on small portions of cake and popcorn.

 

Then, on one not particularly important day, there was the sound of something falling down the pipe to Robbie’s home.  When he had summoned the energy to lift his head and look towards the floor, he saw a pale blue paper airplane. 

He stared for a while before he gained the courage to walk over to the offending item and open it.  When he did, he wasn’t surprised by what he saw.  Yet he still felt that painful lurch at his chest.

 

_Robbie,_

_Stephanie will be performing in the final round of the competition in Iceland at 8pm tomorrow evening._

_You are very welcome to join us._

_Regards,_

_Sportacus_

Robbie felt the corners of his eyes stinging, and realised that he was getting dangerously close to a complete breakdown.  Why did the tone of the letter sound so... cold?  Sportacus must be furious.  Robbie was surprised that he had even received a letter at all.  He had expected to just be ignored, as usual.

For some reason, his brain couldn’t process the message scrawled on the page properly.  He stared, but it was as if the words couldn’t connect into full sentences; as if each word had been separated into single letters, which couldn’t form coherent meaning by themselves.

The clock seemed to stop, and it stayed like that for the rest of the day.  Robbie stared at Sportacus’ letter for what felt like decades, although the rational part of his brain told him that it had only been a few hours.  Robbie’s mind also seemed to freeze, rendered useless.  He felt like he was in a trance, or some dream-like state; just floating in dark nothingness, a nothingness that he couldn’t escape until it let him go, even if he wanted to.

 

The nothingness, however, was not unforgiving.  Robbie found himself hurtling back to reality at some point in the early afternoon of the next day.

And when he was fully there again – when his mind had cleared and his vision had sharpened – he was filled with a sudden surge of determination to leave the lair.

With that thought, Robbie snapped his fingers, and abruptly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

* * *

 

 

Robbie had known that he was half fae from a very young age.  He had spent the majority of his childhood reading books on many different subjects, and so had come across the topic rather easily.  Missing were the stereotypical over-the-top translucent wings; however, Robbie did still posses the ability to transport himself faster than any human could ever dream to.

It was with this ability that he managed to travel to Iceland in under two hours without a flight reservation.

On the other hand, it was the furthest he had ever had to travel in such a short amount of time.  He could only travel to one city at a time – travelling straight from his lair to the theatre in Iceland was completely out of the question.  Robbie knew that if he attempted to do this, he would also run the risk of trapping himself within dimensions, never to be seen again.

So, it was best to pace himself.

That didn’t stop the magic from messing around with his mind, though.  Robbie saw buildings as flat, grey shapes, rather than the fully formed brick and stone structures that they were.  People were just blurs, and their voices sounded muffled and distant, as if heard speaking through an old radio.

He managed to make it to Iceland, but only just.  When he realised that he had arrived, he was barely in one piece anymore.  Snow swirled around him, blurring his vision and playing tricks with his eyes.  It was so disorientating, that Robbie found himself falling to the ground.  The ringing in his head was all he could hear for a few minutes, his eyes screwed shut, trying to focus on what was happening.  Then he heard worried voices – he opened his eyes to see people swarming around him, speaking in panicked Icelandic.  Robbie hurriedly assured them that he was fine, telling them not to worry about him.  It took a while for the crowd to believe him, but they eventually left him.

Once the crowd had disappeared, he was greeted with the sight of a huge theatre.  Crowds of people were waiting outside, mainly parents and teachers and children.  So, he was at the right place, then.  Good.  He sat down on a low stone wall opposite the building, confident that he could see everyone going in and out of the doors. 

 

An hour passed, and he still hadn’t seen Sportacus and the kids.  Robbie gripped his jacket as another gust of icy wind bit at his cheekbones.  A wave of panic ran through him.  Was he too late?  Had he missed Sportacus already?  Had Sportacus waited for Robbie, and then assumed that he wasn’t coming and left?  Robbie groaned, hiding his face in his hands.  He stayed like that for a while.  It was pointless.  He had missed his chance.

That familiar empty feeling came back, sinking deep in his heart.  It was almost like his mind was set on replay, over and over again.  He remembered Sportacus smiling at him, Sportacus hugging him, Sportacus kissing him, Sportacus –

Sportacus’ face when Robbie had seen his ears.  His face when he had told him to leave.  When he had sadly picked his hat up from the ground and ran off. 

Robbie was on the brink of tears now.  No.  He refused to cry.  He couldn’t let anyone see him like this.  His eyes stung, and his vision blurred once more.  He spitefully rubbed his face, not caring whether he would ruin his make-up or not.  It’s not like anyone was going to see it.  Not anyone important, anyway. 

 

And at that moment, Robbie heard a familiar voice.  Not Sportacus.  But a familiar voice, nonetheless.

‘Come on, Trixie, we’re going to be late!’

Robbie looked up sharply.  It was – yes!  That loud kid.  Ziggy.  The one who was obsessed with candy and superheroes.  And with him was Trixie, Stingy, Pixel, Milford, Bessie, and...

His heart jumped in his chest.  Yes.   He was there.  He hadn’t recognized him at first, because he was wearing a duffel coat over that ridiculous jogging suit, but it was definitely him.  Time seemed to slow down.  That wave of panic returned.   _Shit, what should I do?  Would waving be too much?  Should I just walk up to him?_   Robbie sat there, dumbstruck.  He watched Sportacus and the kids walking into the theatre.  No.  _No_.  He had missed his chance.  He couldn’t just let him walk away again, he _couldn’t_...

But then he saw someone running out of the building again.  All he saw for the first few seconds was the navy coat, so he assumed that it was just someone who had forgotten to lock their car or something.  The person started to shout his name.  Robbie paid more attention, and – yes, that was him!  That was definitely him!

Sportacus jogged right up to him, and for a moment Robbie thought that he was going to throw his arms around him and hold him just as tightly as he had when they were in his studio together.  Instead, much to Robbie’s sorrow, Sportacus slowed down and simply stood in front of the gloomy man.

‘I thought you weren’t going to show up.’ Sportacus said, candidly.

‘I was afraid that I had missed you,’ Robbie replied, just as bluntly, his chest tensing faster by the second.

‘Come on, we have to get inside.  We’ll be late for the show!’

‘Wait, Sportacus... aren’t we going to talk about... you know.  Things?’

‘We can talk when we’re inside, come on!’

Robbie rolled his eyes, and allowed Sportacus to drag him inside.  Luckily, Sportacus had already reserved seats for everyone, so finding Milford, Bessie, and the kids wasn’t too difficult.  They had missed the introduction of the show, but, luckily, Stephanie hadn’t performed yet.  Sportacus kept his hand wrapped in Robbie’s as they sat down.

‘Don’t you want to take your coat off?’ Robbie whispered to him.  He shook his head.

‘Not yet.  We still need to talk.’

‘How does that prevent you from taking your coat off?’

‘Because I want to get this over with.’

‘Ok, then.  Get it over with.’

‘Just... this isn’t a great time.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t call having a serious conversation in hushed tones in front of hundreds of kids “a great time” either, yet here we are.’

Now it was Sportacus’ turn to roll his eyes.  Robbie was both impressed and shocked.  Clearly, he had been a bad influence on him.

‘I’m sorry for running off like that the other day.’

‘Wait, what?  I should be the one apologising, I’m the one who acted like a - ’

Robbie was soon cut off by Sportacus’ finger pressing against his lips.

‘Robbie, the children.’ Sportacus scolded.

‘I – sorry.  You have nothing to apologise for.’

‘Yes, I do.  I should have told you about... that.  You know.  Before I dragged you into anything.’

‘I don’t mind.  Really, I don’t.  It just caught me off guard a little.  Besides, I kissed you first, remember?’

‘Uh – well, yes.’ Even in the dark, Robbie could see the elf’s flustered blush spreading across his face.

‘Besides, there’s something I still need to tell you.’

‘What is it?’

‘I’m fae.’

‘I _knew_ it!’

‘What do you mean, you “knew it”?’

‘I’m an elf, Robbie.  I can see through those glamours of yours.’

‘Oh, right.  And they are _not_ “glamours”, they’re disguises.’

‘Whatever you want to call them.  I can see through them either way.’

Robbie harrumphed quietly, but rested his head on Sportacus’ shoulder all the same.

‘Also, I’ve seen you teleporting.’

Robbie lifted his head in shock at this.

‘ _What_?!’

‘You’re not as subtle as you like to think you are, Robbie.’ Sportacus giggled slightly.

‘So... is everything sorted, then?  Is the fact that I’m fae going to be... I don’t know, a problem?’

‘Of course not.  Is the fact that I’m an elf going to be a problem?’

‘No.  That would never be a problem.’

‘Thank god.’

Sportacus placed his fingers under Robbie’s chin.  But before he could do anything, a voice boomed from the speakers surrounding the audience.

 

Robbie couldn’t understand what the voice had said.  But he guessed that it must have been announcing Stephanie’s arrival, as a spotlight turned on suddenly, focussing on that familiar shock of magenta.

Stephanie was knelt on one knee, wearing the dress that Robbie had made for her, the rose chiffon draped beautifully over her knees.  The music started, and Stephanie stood slowly, creating delicate shapes and patterns with her arms.  Everyone watched in awe as she danced around the stage with perfect, controlled movements.

There was a soft lull in the music, and Stephanie slowed down, resting her hands on the top of the skirt, pointing her toes gracefully at the floor.

And for a moment, Robbie could swear that he saw a grin threatening to come out and make her break character.

Stephanie jumped – but, as she did so, she gripped the top of the chiffon skirt and _tore it off_.

 

At least, that’s what it would have looked like to anyone who didn’t know the design of the dress.

 

As Stephanie’s hands ripped the rose fabric from the costume, the audience was greeted with a dazzling display of silver glitter. 

Robbie sat there, smirking.  He had discussed the choreography of Stephanie’s dance with her before drawing up the design, and had made a few... adjustments.  The pink chiffon was simply another layer on top of the main skirt, which was made of a shimmering length of silver organza, with hundreds of crystal beads sewn onto it, which caught the stage lights beautifully.  Robbie had also sewn the overskirt onto a length of ribbon, which Stephanie had used to tie around her waist to hide the dazzling fabric - the big reveal - and was now using it as a prop, draping it around her shoulders, and allowing it to float elegantly through the air behind her.

 

Of course, he had not said anything about this to Sportacus, who was now sitting with his hands clasped over his mouth, wide-eyed in shock. 

 

With a final leap, a final twirl, and a final bow, Stephanie finished her dance.  And even the judges sat in a stunned silence for a good few moments, before standing up and roaring in applause.  At that point, that grin really did break out over Stephanie’s face, shattering her previously solemn composure. 

Everything else seemed like a blur, as the cheering never appeared to end, and the only way that anyone could tell that Stephanie had won was by the judges handing her the enormous golden trophy. 

Robbie felt Sportacus gripping his hand tightly.  He turned his head to look fondly at him, only to be greeted with Sportacus leaning up and pressing his lips against his urgently.  Robbie felt his eyes bulge momentarily, but soon relaxed into the kiss clutching at the back of Sportacus’ shirt tightly.

 

Before Robbie knew it, they were standing outside again, Stephanie gripping at her trophy happily, and the other children and onlookers surrounding her and asking countless questions.  Robbie and Sportacus watched from a certain distance – far enough to be safe from the crowd, but close enough to make sure that the children were safe.

‘So... you didn’t like making her dresses, huh?’ Sportacus teased.

‘Shut up, Sportacus.’ Robbie’s voice had its normal edge to it, but Sportacus could tell that his intention was just as amused and teasing as his had been

Sportacus grinned, and pecked Robbie on the lips. 

‘Come on,’ he said, clutching Robbie’s hand. ‘Let’s go home.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter, but it's finally complete!


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